There’s a lot more to becoming a dentist than simply attending a few dental school classes. A career in dentistry will require you not only to have a lot of different skills, but also to prove that you can actually use those skills when you need to. Learning a skill and using a skill, however, are two completely different things, and there’s no way for an individual to flawlessly use every skill that he or she has learned right off the bat.

In order to learn the necessary skills and gain the practice needed to put those skills to use, an individual must attend a dental school as well as a series of clinical classes, a job-shadowing program, an internship, and/or other similar opportunities to apply his or her skills in a variety of practical settings. Becoming a dentist is not simply a matter of obtaining a degree, but is instead a process that involves a number of different steps that can take a lot of time, money, and effort.

Firsthand Exposure

One of the most important things for an aspiring dentist to do is to receive some firsthand exposure to the field. Firsthand exposure refers to any opportunity in which an individual can actually see what a dentist does. The best way for an individual to obtain some firsthand exposure to the field of dentistry is to find a job-shadowing opportunity. A job- shadowing opportunity is an arrangement in which an individual is allowed to follow a dentist around for a few hours, a few days, or even longer so that the individual can watch the dentist perform procedures or even assist the dentist in some cases. There are several things about job-shadowing opportunities that you should keep in mind. The first thing to remember is that it’s not always easy to find a job-shadowing opportunity. Most dentists do not actually have formal job-shadowing programs, but instead offer these opportunities to certain individuals when they are asked to do so. In other words, finding a job-shadowing opportunity isn’t a question of filling out an application, but rather of finding a dentist to ask. Most individuals find it helpful to ask friends or family in the dentistry field, the dentist that they actually go to, alumni from the dental schools that they are considering, or other dental professionals in the area if they are willing to be shadowed.

The second thing that you should remember is that a job-shadowing opportunity will give you a chance to determine if a career in dentistry is actually what you want or not. Most people don’t fully understand what it means to be a dentist or what a dentist actually does to an individual’s teeth until they see what the dentist is doing from the other side of the chair. There’s no reason to invest a large amount of time and money if you’re not interested in the tasks that a dentist must perform.

Research Dental Schools and Residency Programs: If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in dentistry, it is important to remember that there are less than a hundred dental schools in the entire country and that each of these schools will only have a limited number of spots available. An individual interested in the field of dentistry not only needs to find a school that he or she is eligible to attend, but also to find a school whose admissions board is impressed by his or her grades and test scores.

Impressing an admissions board is not always easy. The required grades and scores will vary depending on the prerequisites and the admissions requirements of each school. It is, therefore, important for you to research the dental schools and residency programs available to ensure that the school has everything you need and that you have the qualifications needed to stand out among the other applicants. There are a couple things that you should consider when you research.

First, it is important to consider the prerequisites of each school or program. The prerequisites that you must meet in order to apply for a program can vary greatly, and some programs may have more prerequisites than others. You will typically need to complete a bachelor’s degree program; the Dental Admission Test (DAT); and a series of science, math, and English courses to apply to a dental school. It is important to note, however, that some schools may allow you to enter a combined program (a program that leads to an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree) if you can prove that you have a high school diploma and that you have achieved the required SAT and/or DAT scores.

Secondly, it is important to consider the admissions requirements that you must meet to get into the school. Each school has its own set of admissions requirements, but you will typically need a GPA of no less than 3.5, a DAT academic average score of no less than 18, and a DAT Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) score of no less than 18.

Research Dental Schools and Residency Programs
If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in dentistry, it is important to remember that there are less than a hundred dental schools in the entire country and that each of these schools will only have a limited number of spots available. An individual interested in the field of dentistry not only needs to find a school that he or she is eligible to attend, but also to find a school whose admissions board is impressed by his or her grades and test scores.

Impressing a dental school admissions board is not always easy. The required grades and scores will vary depending on the prerequisites and the admissions requirements of each school. It is, therefore, important for you to research the dental schools and residency programs available to ensure that the school has everything you need and that you have the qualifications needed to stand out among the other applicants. There are a couple things that you should consider when you research.

• First, it is important to consider the prerequisites of each school or program. The prerequisites that you must meet in order to apply for a program can vary greatly, and some programs may have more prerequisites than others. You will typically need to complete a bachelor’s degree program; the Dental Admission Test (DAT); and a series of science, math, and English courses to apply to a dental school. It is important to note, however, that some schools may allow you to enter a combined program (a program that leads to an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree) if you can prove that you have a high school diploma and that you have achieved the required SAT and/or DAT scores.
• Secondly, it is important to consider the admissions requirements that you must meet to get into the school. Each school has its own set of admissions requirements, but you will typically need a GPA of no less than 3.5, a DAT academic average score of no less than 18, and a DAT Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) score of no less than 18.

Satisfy Undergraduate Requirements

If you’re attempting to get into a dental school, it is important to remember that there are a series of undergraduate requirements that you must satisfy. Most dental schools have requirements that are designed to help the school ensure that each student has the scientific knowledge necessary to understand the basic principles and procedures on which the field of dentistry is based. Every dental school has its own set of requirements, and you must meet each of the school’s requirements to gain admittance to that school. There are, however, certain undergraduate requirements that almost every dental school in the United States will require you to meet.

• The first undergraduate requirement that you will typically be asked to meet is the degree requirement. Most dental schools will require a bachelor’s degree either in science, in a field related to science or medicine, or in an unrelated field with some science and math courses; or the schools may require a certain number of college credits (typically somewhere between 90 and 120) before you apply.
• The second undergraduate requirement that you will typically be asked to meet is the science requirement. Most dental schools will require you to complete two courses in biology, one course in biochemistry, two courses in general chemistry, one or two courses in organic chemistry, and two courses in physics before you apply. Dental schools will typically require you to take a lab component with each of the biology and general chemistry courses, but most schools will not require you to take a lab for the biochemistry, organic chemistry, and physics courses.
• The third undergraduate requirement that you will typically be asked to meet is the English and math requirement. Most schools will require you to complete two English courses and one math course. You will typically be required to take a calculus course in order to fulfill the math requirement, but some schools may allow you to take another math course instead.

Dental Admission Test (DAT)

One of the things that every aspiring dentist is required to do at some point is to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The DAT is a standardized exam that the American Dental Association (ADA) designed to help dental schools determine whether an individual knows the undergraduate program material. All of the top dental schools in the United States use the DAT to weed out students who do not have the critical thinking skills, the math skills, and/or the scientific knowledge necessary to excel in a dentistry program. To get into a dental school, you will need to take the DAT and submit your DAT scores before you apply.

The DAT is not a single exam but rather a collection of four separate exams that are administered at the same time. These four exams include a survey of the natural sciences, a quantitative reasoning test, a reading comprehension test, and a perceptual ability test.

• The natural sciences exam is split into three main sections: biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry. The quantitative reasoning exam is split into two main sections: mathematical problems and applied mathematics.
• The reading comprehension exam is split into three groups of questions, each group asking you to read a single passage and answer the questions related to that passage.
• The perceptual ability exam is composed of a collection of spatial reasoning problems that are designed to test an individual’s ability to identify small details and differences in each problem.

The questions on the DAT are not designed to test your knowledge of dentistry but rather to test your perception skills and your college-level math, science, and reading skills. An individual interested in pursuing a career in the field of dentistry should be able to successfully complete the DAT without any formal training in the field.

DDS or DDM Degree

In order to become a dentist, you will be required to obtain a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree, a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree, or another similar degree from one of the dental schools accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA CODA). Every state in the United States requires an individual to have one of these degrees before he or she can apply for a license to practice. The exact process that you must go through to obtain a DDS, a DMD, or another similar degree can vary among dental schools. However, there are certain steps that almost every DDS and DMD program will require an individual to complete, and you may be able to get a better idea of the general process necessary to earn your degree by familiarizing yourself with some of the basic things that almost every dental student is required to do.

• The first thing that you will be required to do in order to earn your DDS or DMD degree is to complete a series of science courses related to biology and medicine. These courses, which you will usually take in your first two years of dental school, will typically cover anatomy, biochemistry, pathology, and other similar subjects.
• The second thing that you will be required to do in order to earn your DDS or DMD degree is to complete a series of courses related to dental procedures and specialties. These courses, which you will usually take in your second, third, and fourth years of dental school, will typically cover anesthesia, implants, periodontics, surgical procedures, and other similar subjects.
• The third and final thing that you will be required to do in order to earn your DDS or DMD degree is to complete a series of clinical courses. These courses, which you will usually take in your third and fourth years of dental school, will allow you to actually go to a dentist’s office and perform or assist in some of the dental procedures that a dentist typically performs. However, you may be required to complete a series of simulations before the school will actually allow you to work with real patients.

Dental Licensing

The specific requirements that you must meet to obtain a license to practice dentistry will vary from state to state. However, every state requires that you take and pass the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) and attend dental school. The NBDE is a standardized exam that is designed to test an individual’s knowledge of the field of dentistry and ability to put that knowledge to use.

The NBDE, which is administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE), is split into two parts, and you will be required to take and pass both parts of the exam in order to receive your license. (It is important to note, however, that the NBDE will not require you to take both parts of the exam on the same day.

• The first part of the exam is usually taken after the first two years of dental school, and the second part of the exam is usually taken after an individual graduates from dental school.) Part I of the NBDE tests an individual’s knowledge of dental anatomy and of the biomedical sciences (biochemistry, pathology, physiology, etc.)
• Part II of the NBDE tests an individual’s knowledge of dental practices and procedures (oral diagnosis, patient management, pain control, etc.) and of the dental subfields in which an individual may specialize (endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, etc.)

In addition to taking the NBDE, you will be required to obtain a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) degree from one of the dental schools accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA CODA) before you apply for licensure. (Some states will accept a degree that is similar to the DDS or the DDM as long as the degree proves that you have received a similar amount of education and/or training.) You will also typically be required to take a clinical examination in which you will be asked to demonstrate your ability to use the practices, procedures, and skills that you should have learned in dental school. Once you have obtained the appropriate degree(s), have successfully completed the NBDE, and have successfully completed the clinical examination for the state in which you are applying, you will usually be eligible to apply for licensure. However, some states may have age, background check, certification, life-support training (Basic Life Support and CPR), insurance, and other similar requirements in addition to the requirements mentioned here.

Begin Career

Once you have obtained your Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree or your Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree and your license to practice, you will be able to begin your career in the field of dentistry. However, it is important to note that obtaining a license isn’t necessarily an indication that your quest to become a dentist is over. A license will allow you to legally perform the tasks that a dentist is required to perform, but it won’t necessarily guarantee you a position as a dentist or guarantee you the ability to open your own practice right out of school. In other words, an individual interested in becoming a dentist must not only obtain a license, but must also find a way to gain some of the hands-on-training and experience that he or she needs to break into the field. In order for you to gain the hands-on-training and experience that you need, you may want to know some of the things that you should do once you get out of dental school.

• The first thing that you should do when you get out of school is to look for a dentist with an established practice who may be looking for an associate. An associate is a dentist who performs the same dental procedures as the dentist who owns the practice, but who is not required to perform the actual management and decision-making activities that the owner of the practice must carry out. Most dentists work in small practices that only employ a few dentists at a time, but you may be able to find a small practice or a large dental chain that is willing to take you on as an associate or, in some cases, even as a full-fledged partner.
• The second thing that you should do when you get out of school is to look for a dentist who is seeking a partner. A partner is a dentist who co-manages an office and performs dental procedures at the same level as another dentist instead of working for another dentist. Some of the best places to look for partnership opportunities include dental conferences, the dental schools that you attended, the offices of former classmates who have established their own practices, local dentists with small practices, the dental office in which you are an associate (if you have been an associate for a while), and other similar locations where you can put your networking skills to use.